Utah’s Wildlife Action Plan

The State Wildlife Grants (SWG) program was created by Congress in 2001 to provide states with federal dollars to support proactive conservation aimed at preventing federal listings under the Endangered Species Act (ESA). To ensure that grant funds are spent effectively and to prevent the need for additional ESA listings, states were required to develop Comprehensive Wildlife Conservation Strategies. SWG programs now serve as the nation’s core effort to prevent fish and wildlife from needing protections under ESA and attempts to help species and their associated habitat conservation issues before they are designated as threatened or endangered.

Utah’s Action Plan was approved by the federal government and finalized in October 2005. It identifies 141 species of greatest conservation need (animals only), of which 18 are federally listed under ESA. There are 43 total federally listed species in Utah, 18 animals and 25 plants. The purpose of the plan is to direct the integration and implementation of ongoing and planned management actions that will conserve native species, thereby prevent the need for federal listings. SWG funds must be matched with state, local or private money. In Utah, the ESMF is the primary source of funding used for the required match for federal dollars distributed through SWG.

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Endangered Species Mitigation Fund

The Endangered Species Mitigation Fund (ESMF) is a state program created in 1997 by the Utah Legislature and is administered by DNR. The purpose of the ESMF is to provide funding to facilitate conservation of fish and wildlife species and their habitats in greatest need of protection.

What kind of projects are eligible for funds?
Any project that helps recover endangered or sensitive species is eligible to apply for a grant. Projects could include research to clarify the status, range or distribution of a species (such as the Boreal Toad Conservation and Monitoring Plan); a conservation action that will improve habitat for a species (such as sage-grouse habitat improvement); or a cooperative effort that provides landowners with incentives to manage or protect habitats that benefit sensitive species (such as the Utah Prairie Dog Management and Recovery Program). Priority is given to on-the-ground actions instead of research, planning or monitoring efforts.

Who can apply?
ESMF funding is open to anyone with a viable project. Past recipients of ESMF awards include state agencies, counties, cities, universities and private individuals or groups. Any projects funded by the ESMF must have the support of the communities in which they take place, so it’s important to develop a partnership with the local community before submitting your proposal. Call the Recovery Programs Office at (801) 538-5273 for more information.

Christopher Keleher

Recovery Program Director

Christopher Keleher has been the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) director of Recovery Programs since 2018. He serves as program director for both the June Sucker Recovery Implementation Program and the Virgin River Resource Management and Recovery Program. He also represents Utah on the Colorado River Fish Recovery Program where he serves as chair of the Management Committee. Keleher works statewide to help solve conflicts between local communities and species conservation.

Prior to serving in his current capacity, Keleher served as the recovery program deputy director and was responsible for administering the Endangered Species Mitigation Fund (ESMF). The fund is designed to prevent new federal listings of species under the Endangered Species Act and to work toward recovering Threatened and Endangered species currently listed under the act.

Keleher oversee the ESMF and represent DNR in the June Sucker Recovery and Implementation Program and the Virgin River Resource Management and Recovery Program. Additionally, he also represent Utah on the Colorado River Fish Recovery Program.

Doug McCleve

Law Enforcement Director

Doug McCleve currently serves as the law enforcement director of the Utah Department of Natural Resources (DNR). He joined DNR in 2018. As law enforcement director, McCleve works closely with DNR division leadership and section chiefs to oversee the public safety efforts of DNR law enforcement, including wildlife conservation officers and state park rangers.

McCleve has served in many capacities during his 25 year career with the Utah Department of Public Safety, Utah Highway Patrol, including state trooper. Additionally, he has served as a public information officer, Sergeant of a field crew, Lieutenant at Salt Lake Community College and Captain for the past eleven years. He also served on Governor Mike Leavitt’s security detail.

McCleve has served most recently as the Bureau Commander of the State Communications Bureau, which includes six dispatch centers statewide. He is a 2015 graduate of the FBI National Academy in Quantico, VA.

Robyn Pearson

Deputy Director

Robyn Pearson currently serves as deputy director of the Utah Department of Natural Resources (DNR). He joined DNR leadership in 2005. As deputy director, Pearson manages the department’s geographic information system, serves on the Utah Lake Commission and oversees several DNR divisions.

Pearson previously served as the Wasatch County Community and Economic Development Director and Executive Director of the Heber Valley Chamber of Commerce. He managed economic development and served as the Wasatch County Olympic coordinator leading up to and during the 2002 Winter Olympics. Additionally, he served as Millard County administrator for 15 years and served as chair of the Heber Valley Railroad for nine years.

Pearson served four years on the Governor’s Agri-business Task Force. He graduated Magna Cum Laude from Brigham Young University with a Bachelor of Arts and Master’s in public administration. He and his wife, Karen, live in Heber City, Utah and have seven sons and one daughter. All seven sons are Eagle Scouts. Pearson enjoys camping, horseback riding, hunting, fishing and working with youth through various scouting and coaching opportunities.

Nathan Schwebach

Communications Director

Nathan Schwebach joined the Utah Department of Natural Resources (DNR) in 2015 as the communications director and public information officer. His primary responsibilities include managing DNR’s public and government outreach efforts and overseeing the department’s social and digital platforms. Schwebach also coordinates marketing and media outreach efforts between DNR and its seven divisions.

Prior to joining DNR, Schwebach was the public relations director for ThomasArts, a full-service advertising and communication firm in Farmington, Utah. As an expert in strategic communication, he has worked with a variety of public, private, government and nonprofit organizations throughout the United States, including General Motors, Subway Restaurants, Cancer Research Institute, Huntsman Cancer Institute, Comcast, Natural History Museum of Utah, Utah Department of Transportation, AARP and Aetna. Schwebach has a Bachelor of Science in Mass Communication with an emphasis in Public Relations from the University of Utah.

Schwebach and his wife Kristi have three children and live in Herriman, Utah. He enjoys camping, ice fishing, riding off-highway vehicles and exploring Utah’s beautiful wilderness. In his spare time he helps increase awareness of Type One Diabetes and has served as a board member for the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation in Utah.

Rick Allis

State Geologist/UGS Director

Rick Allis joined the Utah Geological Survey (UGS) as director and state geologist in 2000. He is responsible for ensuring UGS follows the powers and duties as defined in state code, including financial and personnel management, and guiding strategic development.

Prior to joining the UGS, Allis was a research professor at the Energy and Geoscience Institute at the University of Utah for almost three years. Before that he was in senior management at the Institute of Geological and Nuclear Sciences in New Zealand, originally known as the New Zealand Geological Survey. He has a Bachelor of Science Degree in Geophysics from Victoria University, New Zealand, and Master and Doctorate degrees in Geophysics from the University of Toronto, Canada.

Allis is member of the Board of Professional Geology of Utah’s Division of Occupational and Professional Licensing, a commissioner with the Utah Seismic Safety Commission, and an adjunct professor of the Geology and Geophysics Department at the University of Utah.

Allis and his wife Fientje live in Salt Lake City. They have a cabin in the Uinta Mountains and a second home in Kanab, Utah. During his spare time when not hiking in the mountains or canyoneering in southern Utah’s spectacular red rock country, he helps his wife with charity work on the Navajo Reservation.

Mike Fowlks

Wildlife Resources Director

An avid hunter and a longtime career in wildlife law enforcement, Mike Fowlks has more than 24 years experience with the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources. He has served as the division’s deputy director since 2012 and was appointed as interim director in 2017. Fowlks primary responsibilities include overseeing more than 600 state employees and managing and protecting Utah’s wildlife and fisheries, including 140 wildlife management areas and 12 fish hatcheries.

Fowlks began his career at the DWR as a field conservation officer in the agency’s Law Enforcement Section. He distinguished himself as a leader and quietly worked his way through the ranks, serving as the law enforcement section chief for eight years. He also served as the agency’s liaison with the Utah Legislature between 1997 and 2003.

Fowlks received his bachelor’s degree in zoology and animal biology from the University of Utah. He also graduated from the FBI National Academy for Law Enforcement Administrators and the National Conversation Leadership Institute.

Kent Jones

State Engineer and Water Rights Director

Kent Jones was appointed in 2009 as the state engineer. He is responsible for the general administrative supervision of the waters of the state and the measurement, appropriation, apportionment and distribution of those waters.

Jones joined the Division of Water Rights in 1981 as an assistant regional engineer. After two years he was hired as a planning engineer with the Division of Water Resources. He returned to Water Rights as the regional engineer for the Weber River/West Desert Regional Office. He was also selected to be the directing engineer for distribution, stream alteration, and well drilling. In 1987 he was hired as the assistant state engineer for applications and records and served in that position until his state engineer appointment in 2009. He graduated from Utah State University with a degree in Civil and Environmental Engineering with an emphasis on water resources. He currently serves as a member of the College of Engineering Advisory Board for Utah State University.

Jones and his wife Ann have four children, 16 grandchildren, and live in West Jordan, Utah. He enjoys work, reading, hiking, youth soccer, stained glass projects, rock art, and traveling to out-of-the-way places.

Eric Millis

Water Resources Director

Eric Millis is the director of the Utah Division of Water Resources (DWRe) and has also served as Utah’s interstate streams commissioner since November 2013.

Eric has worked for the DWRe for 28 years and has served as the division’s development director, planning director, river basin planning section chief and as an engineer in the division’s investigation section assisting applicants with the Board of Water Resources build water development projects.

He is a graduate of Brigham Young University and a registered professional engineer.

Fred Hayes

State Parks and Recreation Director

Fred Hayes is the director of the Utah Division of Parks and Recreation. His primary responsibilities include supervision of division staff who administers the affairs of Utah’s 43 state parks, off-highway vehicle program, and state boating program.

Hayes began his career in 1982 as a seasonal park ranger aide at Starvation State Park. He has held numerous positions with the Division since those early days, including park ranger, nature center education specialist, program coordinator, and deputy director. He was appointed director in 2012.

In addition to his work at the division, Hayes worked for the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources as a biological aide and as an education program coordinator. He spent several years as a biology, math, and personal health teacher in the public schools of Duchesne and Uintah counties. He holds bachelor’s degrees in botany from Brigham Young University and an education certificate from Utah State University.

Hayes and his wife Serena are fortunate to live in the beautiful Heber Valley. They have five children and five grandchildren. As a family, they enjoy riding ATVs in Utah’s mountains, exploring the backcountry of the San Rafael desert, and participating in church and community events. Hayes sits on the Board of Directors of several organizations including the Heber Valley Railroad and This is the Place Heritage Park.

John Baza

Oil, Gas and Mining Director

John Baza was appointed Director of the Utah Division of Oil, Gas and Mining in May 2005 by then Governor Jon M. Huntsman. He leads the division’s efforts in petroleum development, coal and mineral mining, and abandoned mine reclamation.

Baza is a registered professional engineer in Utah and holds Bachelor of Science and Master of Science in petroleum engineering from Stanford University. Baza’s career spans 35 years of working with the energy and mineral extractive industries, including engineering positions with Phillips Petroleum Co., Amoco Production Co., and Flying J. He is a 38-year member of the Society of Petroleum Engineers, having held various officers positions including section chairman, program chairman and scholarship committee chairman.

Baza and his wife Darlene were both raised in Utah. They have four children and are the extremely proud grandparents of four grandchildren. He appreciates the heritage and diversity of historical, cultural, and recreational experiences that he and his family enjoy living Utah.

Brian Cottam

Forestry, Fire and State Lands Director

Brian Cottam is the Utah State Forester and Director of the Utah Division of Forestry, Fire and State Lands. The Division administers numerous forestry programs, is responsible for wildfire management on state and private lands, and oversees Utah’s state sovereign lands. Prior to becoming State Forester in 2013 Brian was the Division’s deputy director.

Cottam’s previous professional positions include both associate and interim director of Regional Services in Southern Utah University’s Office of Government Relations and Regional Services in Cedar City, Utah; rural program specialist in the State and Local Planning Section of the Governor’s Office of Planning and Budget for Governor Jon M. Huntsman, Jr.; economic development director for Wayne County, Utah; coordinator of the Greater Flagstaff Forests Partnership, Flagstaff, Arizona; and director of the Southern Utah Forest Products Association, Lyman, Utah. He has also been a small business owner and manager.

Brian earned a Bachelor of Science Degree in Social Science with a minor in Environmental Studies from Westminster College in Salt Lake City, and a Master’s Degree in Forestry with an emphasis in natural resource and environmental policy from Utah State University. His master’s thesis focused on the Southern Utah Forest Products Association and the development of forest and wood-worker cooperatives.

Wade Kloos

GIS Director

Wade Kloos is the GIS director for the Utah Department of Natural Resources (DNR). His main responsibility includes managing and assisting seven divisions with innovative ways to implement the use of GIS technology. He represents the Department and works with other agencies on initiatives including a leadership role with the Utah Mapping and Information Partnership. He also coordinates the department’s Success Framework initiative that seeks to measure and document business process improvement and performance across all divisions.

Prior to joining DNR, Kloos worked for Esri, the world’s leading GIS software company, where he helped state and local government agencies leverage its broad suite of GIS tools. Kloos has worked at the local government level as a city planner and GIS coordinator. He also started and runs his own small business designing and manufacturing remote controlled model airplanes. Kloos has a Bachelor of Science in Geography from California State University, Fullerton and a Master’s degree in Urban and Regional Planning from the University of Colorado, Denver.

Kloos and his wife Emily have two boys. One son attends the University of Utah and the other is on his way. He enjoys exploring the outdoors with his family, mountain biking and designing and flying RC airplanes and drones.

Tyler Thompson

Watershed Program Director

Tyler Thompson has worked for the Utah Department of Natural Resources (DNR) since 1997 starting his career as a seasonal employee collecting vegetation trend data for DNR’s Division of Wildlife Resources Range trend program. Since this time, Tyler has worked as a research biologist in the development of new grass and forb seed releases and as one of the first restoration biologists hired to implement projects in southern Utah funded through Utah’s Watershed Restoration Initiative (UWRI). For the last decade, Tyler has been a part of WRI’s statewide administration staff. In that position, Tyler helped find matching funding for WRI projects and administered the incoming and outgoing funding contracts to help get project dollars on the ground each year. In January of 2017, Tyler was selected as DNR’s watershed program director. Tyler coordinates and manages WRI through five regional teams that submit and review over 150 restoration projects each year. WRI completes nearly 100,000 acres of restoration work each year in Utah.

Tyler grew up in Orem, Utah where he graduated from Mountain View High School, attended Utah Valley University and Brigham Young University. Tyler received both a bachelors and masters degree from BYU where he did his graduate research on the use of both native and non-native seed mixes for fire rehabilitation in the Tintic valley, Utah following the 1999 Railroad fire.

Tyler and his wife Brooke have been married for 15 years and currently live in West Jordan. Tyler enjoys fishing, outdoor photography and riding off-road motorcycles through Utah’s beautiful desert and mountain landscapes.

Bill Boudreau

Information Technology Director

Bill Boudreau joined the Utah Department of Natural Resources (DNR) in 2013 as the information technology director. His primary responsibilities include overseeing DNR’s technical environment with application development and maintenance, desktop support, servers, network and help desk.

Prior to joining DNR, Boudreau was the information technology director for the Utah Department of Corrections. He has worked for the State of Utah in various technology roles and capacities since 1994. Boudreau has a Bachelor of Science in Computer Science from Weber State University. He has also served in the US Army Reserve as a field artillery officer and is a graduate of the US Army Officer Candidate School in Fort Benning, Georgia.

Boudreau and his wife Kellie have one son and three grandchildren and live in West Point, Utah. He is an avid cyclist and also enjoys camping in Utah’s beautiful wilderness.

Roger Lewis

Finance Director

Roger Lewis became the Finance Director for the Utah Department of Natural Resources (DNR) in April of 2017. His primary responsibilities include managing DNR’s finances and coordinating budgeting and accounting activities with DNR’s seven divisions. Lewis also oversees the internal audit function of the department.

Lewis has worked for the State since 1988, starting as a tax auditor for the Utah State Tax Commission. In 1999, Lewis joined DNR’s internal audit staff and later became the audit manager. After working in internal audit for six years, Lewis became the Administrative Services Director for the Utah Division of Forestry, Fire, & State Lands, one of DNR’s seven divisions, where he oversaw the accounting and budgeting of that division for eleven years. Lewis has a Bachelor of Science in Accounting from the University of Utah and a Masters of Business Administration from Utah State University.

Lewis and his wife, Andrea, have three children. Lewis enjoys many outdoor activities such as camping. Besides his family, his main passion is photography, particularly wildlife photography where he spends a large amount of his outdoor time enjoying the wonders of the natural world.

Mike Tribe

Human Resources Field Office Director

Michael Tribe joined the Utah Department of Natural Resources (DNR) in 2017 as the Human Resources Director. Mr. Tribe has a Master’s Degree in Human Resource Management from the University of Utah. His primary responsibilities include managing and directing DNR Human Resources team and government outreach efforts and overseeing the department’s recruitment, classification, compensation, performance management and liability issues for DNR and its seven divisions.

Prior to joining DNR, Mr. Tribe served the state of Utah in a variety of Human Resources positions and agencies since 1993, most recently as the Human Resources Manager for the Utah Schools for the Deaf and the Blind.

Mr. Tribe and his wife Marci have four children and live in Bountiful, Utah. He is an avid fan of the Utah Jazz and the University of Utah and enjoys enjoying traveling throughout Utah’s to take in the scenic beauty. In his spare time he enjoys singing in two local community choirs, Utah Voices and Witness Music.

Kaelyn Anfinsen

Executive Assistant

Kaelyn Anfinsen has served as the executive assistant for the Utah Department of Natural Resources (DNR) since 2009. She works with the executive director and his deputy directors managing office personnel and handling agendas, correspondence, scheduling and all other administrative functions. Anfinsen also coordinates meetings for DNR’s leadership team and the Executive Water Task Force.

Before joining DNR’s administrative office, Anfinsen served as an administrative assistant for three years for the Utah Division of Water Resources. Prior to her employment in state government, Anfinsen was the administrative assistant to the regional manager at United Parcel Service for many years. She has also worked for Coca-Cola and Bonneville International Corporation.

Anfinsen and her husband Ken live in West Valley and have four children and six plus grandchildren. She enjoys spending time with her grandchildren, camping, sewing and locking herself in her craft room.

Darin Bird

Deputy Director

Darin Bird currently serves as deputy director of the Utah Department of Natural Resources (DNR). He joined DNR leadership in 1998 as communication director and legislative liaison. As deputy director, he has continued his work with the legislature and also works with congressional delegation on federal issues. His current portfolio includes supervision of the Divisions of Parks and Recreation, Water Resources and the Utah Geological Survey. Bird is also DNR’s representative on the Virgin River Administration Committee and the Upper Colorado River Program.

Previously, Bird served on the personal staff of U.S. Senator Robert Bennett in several capacities. He has also served as senior policy advisor for the U.S. House Natural Resources Committee chaired by former Utah Congressman James Hansen and as special assistant and director of Constituent Services for Utah Governor Norman Bangerter.

Bird grew up in Cedar City and Santa Clara, Utah and graduated from Dixie College and Southern Utah University. While attending SUU, he served as student body president and president of the Utah Student Association. He was also the first recipient of the SUU Young Alumni Award. Bird currently serves as a member of the Murray Shade Tree and Beautification Commission and as a board member for This Is the Place Heritage Park and the Michael O. Leavitt Center for Politics and Public Service at SUU. In his free time, Bird enjoys traveling and exploring Utah’s amazing trails on an ATV. Darin and his wife Lola live in Murray, Utah and have one daughter, Lauren.

Michael Styler

Executive Director

Mike Styler has served as executive director of the Utah Department of Natural Resources (DNR) since January 2005. Styler leads an agency of 1,300 employees who are divided among seven divisions: Forestry, Fire and State Lands; Oil, Gas and Mining; Parks and Recreation; Utah Geological Survey; Water Resources; Water Rights and Wildlife Resources.

Prior to his appointment, Styler served in the Utah House of Representatives where he was elected Assistant Majority Whip. He has also served on the Executive Appropriations Committee, Legislative Management Committee, Legislative Water Task Force (chair), and Natural Resources Appropriations Committee (chair). Before his legislative service, he served for eight years as a Millard County Commissioner and president of the Utah Association of County Commissioners. He also served his farming community as president of the Deseret Irrigation Company.

Styler received Bachelor degrees from Brigham Young University in Agricultural Economics and Business Education. He started purchasing his family farm while teaching U.S. History to eighth grade students at Delta Middle School. The Styler family helped settle Millard County in the 1880s, founding the farming community of Oasis. He still farms 400 acres of irrigated land in Delta with the help of his son Stephen.

Among his many interests, Styler loves ice fishing and hunting. His adventures have included hunting bear and moose in Alaska and whitetails in Wyoming. He and his wife have three children and are the proud grandparents of 12 grandchildren.